A Tale of Love and Loyalty (2024)

Grand plot of a long format made to work amazingly in short format, we stan

This drama deserves a far higher rating. I was soooooo excited to watch this drama. I saw a snippet on Insta and noticed that it is both FL and ML from Seal of Love which I really liked (and honestly, this drama could be considered as a continuation to Seal of Love imho). Richard Li and Ming Jia Jia are such an amazing couple cast, I hope they'll make it to bigger/more popular dramas. They look amazing on camera and have chemistry. I haven't watched many short format dramas yet (this is the third one so far). It is. The BEST. So far. I don't really have anything to complain about, I wasn't even mad about the ending. The character of Yu Wen Yuan is utterly reckless, despicable, rotten and toxic at first (we learned later where did everything come from, but still, that isn't the way to deal with your emotions), he softened up a lot towards the end. Richard Li is just so lovable and such an amazing actor even when he is casted as an pretend a-hole character. Su Yan is just trying to balance both men on each side according to her abilities, she doesn't want to go against her values but also tries to keep the decorum for the sake of her sister's wish. Yu Wen Yingren seems harmless at first, but don't let his eerie calm face fool you. The madness, the drunkenness of power, intrigues, the thrill, everything what usual long format dramas drag on for ages is condensed into this short format. Beautiful costumes and decorations, I appreciated that there was little to no CGI. I'm not a ost music type of fan, but I think the ost could've been a little bit better. Idk the budget for short format dramas, but as far as this genre goes, this drama worked magnificently for me.

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Angsty & forbidden love with sexy male lead

This mini drama is about the female lead who has to honour the dying wish of her sister and marry her sister’s husband (the Emperor). Five years later, a rebellion breaks out and the general who is the Emperor’s younger brother (the male lead) comes to their aid. This is a story of the main lead’s forbidden love and their loyalty to the crown.

POSITIVE:
- Very, very angsty (not for the faint hearted).
- Sexy/bad boy male lead (leaning on red flag).
- Passionate kiss scenes and se*ual tension.
- Forbidden love, jealousy and betrayal vibes.
- No love triangles.
- Lovely costumes (especially the female lead)
- Nice chemistry between the leads (it’s their second collaboration).
- Great acting from the three main leads.
- Unique way to end the drama (referring to the final two episodes).

NEGATIVE:
- Long dialogue that would sometimes take a whole episode (10 minutes). The dialogue was done well and felt angsty however it did make an impression on me that it was very long. I think the issue might have been the static camera work.
- The ending (it makes sense with the story and it was done well but a part of me wishes it was slightly different).

OVERALL:
If you are looking for an angsty drama with forbidden love and a very sexy/bad boy male lead, watch this drama.
Side note: If you love the main lead, I highly recommend you also watch “The Deliberations of Love”.

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Unfulfilled Promise, Identity Crisis, Disappearing Orgasm

I. Introduction:

This short-length drama opens with the palace being besieged by usurpers of the throne, and Empress Su Yan (FL) having asked her ex, Prince of Nanchuan Yuwen Yuan (ML), for backup. Emperor Yuwen Yingren (2ML) who is of ill health suggests that no assistance would be forthcoming, but lo and behold, the Nanchuan army arrives to save the day. The first few episodes promised dog-blood melodrama but this is ultimately undelivered. There were some scenes suggesting a more light-hearted comedy, which were quickly buried in angst, suspense, and conflict scenes before you could even bark a quick laugh.

The drama suffered from an identity crisis, as if the production team could not decide whether to deliver angst, romance, comedy, or otherwise. While the drama has some beautiful visuals and the storyline held much promise, its lacklustre delivery and continuity gaps leave it feeling ultimately underwhelming, like a disappearing orgasm. By the way, no happy ending.

II. Story and Plot:

The drama started with a tight, logical structure as to why the FL abandoned the ML to marry the 2ML. There were curious twists to the usual palace drama storyline, e.g., the 2ML's early scenes left me wondering if he was concerned for the FL in a brotherly manner or did he develop feelings for her, or if he was most concerned for the throne and everyone be damned.

But the latter half of the drama was dragged down by lazy scriptwriting and editing, e.g., a random scene of the FL crying over a dying ML appearing out of nowhere, the FL taking a full episode to chat and then murder the 2ML, the theoretical-physics-level mental gymnastics required to understand why the 2FL would do what she did knowing what she knew or whether the FL and ML ultimately resolved their misunderstandings, and the random comedy that is episode 19 stuffed at the end because it wasn't just the black sheep of the 20-episode family, it wasn't even in the bovine family!

III. Characters

MJJ as the FL singlehandedly carried this drama. She was a beautiful, weepy, tired woman who just wanted to gently honour her late sister's memory. RL required MJJ's acting to deliver the melodramatic scenes between them. RL has too boyish a face to carry the ML role--he was unable to express the necessary cruelty his scenes required. But if you enjoy his abs, you will have the opportunity to view them. PQ delivered his scenes as a weak emperor better than his scenes as a lunatic. It was missing just a tiny bit of OTT to truly express how mad he had become.

IV. Production Aspects

The soundtrack is commendable, truly enhancing the melodramatic scenes to the appropriate level of angst and tragedy. There were beautiful quality costumes and set, but if I had one complaint, it would be the scene where the FL is rolled out on a makeshift battering ram. The tragedy was ruined as it made me laugh out loud.

V. Conclusion:

This is a visually beautiful but narratively predictable and weak drama. While it offers fleeting moments of entertainment and showcases impressive scenes that raised its overall score, its uneven development of plot points, continuity gaps, reliance on beautiful people to fudge bad writing, leave it feeling ultimately forgettable. If you're looking for an easy-to-watch drama with beautiful visuals, this might suffice. But for those seeking more complex storyline or even more romance between the two leads, look elsewhere.

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“Do You Know How Much I Adore You?”

I have been watching mini dramas because the angst in the full sized(?) ones that have aired this year are not doing it for me. Or better yet, the lack of angst in those is not doing it for me. This drama delivered what I needed! The story is nothing new. They are basically star crossed lovers to whom fate, and their siblings, played a cruel joke to.

The acting was pretty good, except sometimes when it was just okay. Yan’er, the female lead, is a mix between a submissive and headstrong woman. I found this understandable because she does mention the circumstances she grew up in. I actually liked her character and could empathize with her. She was in a very difficult situation since she was devoted to carry out her sister’s last wishes, even when that witch did not deserve her loyalty, but also wanted and was unable to express her love for Yuan. Yuwen Yuan, the male lead, was a perfect example of a red flag at the beginning. I really loved to hate him. However, throughout the show he has more colors than the wind (shoutout to Pocahontas’ OST: Colors of the Wind). He was almost like a chameleon changing his colors with the situation. He was never consistently a green flag though. The chemistry between them was perfectly hot and, at times, heartbreakingly sweet. There were some scenes where I needed to remind myself to breathe. While the main leads’ acting was not perfect, I felt the actor who played the second male lead, Emperor Yuwen Yingren, had the most flaws in his acting as he could be overly exaggerated in his portrayal. However, then there were times when his acting was so on point that I wanted to transmigrate into the show and get rid of him. Like for example, when he started shouting and interrupting the main leads’ moment in ep. 17 (Tencent)/Ep. 9 (Viki). I wanted to appear behind him and push him off where he was standing. He was just a delusional pile of stinky trash.

That scene in ep. 17 (Tencent)/Ep. 9 (Viki) was so well done and it was hauntingly beautiful. I loved, loved that scene. I tell you, I had to hug my pillow for emotional support. I wanted pain and misery, didn't I? This scene definitely gave it to me. Still, I rewatched it because it was beautifully done. While my favorite parts were the angst filled ones, the show does have a few comedic scenes sprinkled in, it was just enough to relieve some of the tension and never over the top. I have to say Zhu Li’s, the male lead’s subordinate, comedic timing was just right.
I only remember a few of the instrumental(s) playing songs, which really fitted the scenes, so I guess the OST could have been better.

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Its beautifully heartbreaking

I decided to watch this drama out of curiosity but got a gem actor like Li Fei.

Firstly I didn't even know about short Chinese dramas and never got to know this event existed. And this is the first time I watched it because of a short clip on YouTube.

The story is a cliche costume drama with misunderstandings, forbidden love, an obsessive villain, and a Romeo-Juliette trope. Because of the duration, we just have a brief plot that includes flashbacks. It could be better story-wise but it is acceptable. I need some time to digest the plot because many scenes are cut harshly. And also many scenes triggering for some people. Please be prepared before you watch it.

Besides the story and the production value are just okay for me, I'm grateful that I found such a good actor like Li Fei and Meng Jia Jia.

What should I do? I just fell perfectly for Li Fei! He definitely can act, is such a good kisser, showed micro-expression very well, and of course, has a god-like appearance. And then I heard that he got a nickname as the king of short drama. Now I know the reason for that nickname.

Meng Jia Jia is really beautiful here. She got really good chemistry with Li Fei. She and the king do such a great job portraying their character.

The other good thing about this drama is the soundtrack. I got hooked on Day and Night sung by Ziruchu Yinyue. This song is so emotional. I can feel the sadness, desperation, and yearning, from both the Main Lead.

I think I will rewatch it in the future just for Li Fei himself. And as for the ost, I already put it on my playlist.

One thing that I feel grateful for after watching this drama, it is such a blessing that I can find such a good actor like Li Fei. And his drama is mostly what I enjoyed the most. Nice to meet you, Li Fei! I can't wait for your next project!

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Sinked because of poor editing & writing, despite steamy looks of hot ML

This short Chinese web series was entertaining in its first half but fell halfway through completely apart. There were some hot and exciting scenes and I liked the enemies-to-lovers trope the script was going for at first. It took a turn that I did not dislike in the second half but there was clearly not enough time to make it make sense and to be interesting overall. I especially do not understand why they decided to come back on past elements from the timeline in the two last episodes of the series rather than to incorporate it as flashback in the main story.

In addition to those very strange storytelling choices, the editing was all over the place. It can be expected from that short format series but I still think that it could have been better. The introduction song was alright but overall the soundtrack was overpowering in most of the scenes. There were also some jarring sound issues (especially if you watched the series on YouTube where it was sensibly worse).

Acting-wise, I admit I somewhat enjoyed the performance of Richard Li but mostly because of a strong eye-candy factor. Overall I liked the steamy looks he was throwing at the FL but he was still lacking in the most emotional part. Ming Jia Jia as the FL did not impress me at all. It might be linked to her role and the script but I did not care that much about her character which is problematic as you want to be able to root for the heroine. Last but not least Patrick Quan delivered an over-the-top performance but given the scenario, he had clearly little room for nuances.

I would not recommend this to people as I feel the series fell apart mid-way through. The most exciting part of the drama can be seen in the intro generic, so honestly if you watch it, you have seen the best of what the show has to offer. I did not mind the choice they made regarding the romance, it was interesting but what was really disturbing is the way it was edited with the couple of last episodes coming back on past elements of the story.

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Beautifully filmed but left me a bit disappointed

I wanted to title this review "They All Died Unhappily Ever After" I do not fault the acting or production etc, my main problem was with the story. I prefer happy endings, but I am on board with a sad ending if the story warrants it. If you don't like dramas where they all die and no one gets a happy ending then maybe this drama isn't for you. I was interested in it because of the male lead who I have seen in several other dramas and he always gives a good performance. Going in, I had no idea if this would have a happy or sad ending. By the time I got to episode 18, I had my answer. That there were 2 additional episodes after, I thought what could be next? The 2 episodes at the end were like pointless fillers and didn't add anything to the story as most of the events had been explained in previous episodes.

Those that deserved to die, died, but too many people that didn't deserve that fate did as well. The cast did a good job with their acting. Li Fei and Patrick Quan were both good as the hero and the bad guy. Patrick Quan is very good at playing good and bad. Li Fei looked stunning as always in traditional costume. I'm rather glad he does a lot of costume drams as he has the look for it.

Story-wise, the ML and FL went through a lot and didn't even get a happy ending. The struggle for power etc as well as both men being in love with the female lead just made it all seem a bit futile in the end. Maybe that is what was trying to be portrayed. As I said before episodes 19 & 20 were pointless except as extra material as the story had already ended at that point.

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Richard Li Fei

Great chemistry between the leads and great kissing scenes. Good production with nice costumes and makeup. Same pairing with FL ming jia jia in seal of love drama. If you like exciting aka sexy scenes and beautiful leads then this is a must watch! Richard Li is so handsome and his aggressive yet tender character as the general and potential heir to the throne is great and oh so sexy. You'll def rewind the key scenes 🤭
A must watch!

Spoiler coming....stop scrolling if you dont wanna know
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Sad ending! 😭 but i still dont regret watching it!

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Love, Sacrifice and Misery

This series was awesome. the plot was excellent , the main leads had chemistry. I hope a season 2 comes out. This should have been a longer series though, it would have been awesome to see more of the pair. The Main leads weren't aware they were betrothed by the emperor when they met and fell in love. So they cancellled the engagement of the unknown fiancee to marry the one they love. Other sacrifices and an unrequited love forced them apart. Ultimately, despite their passion,yearning and love ....their loyalty towards the Yu kingdom kept them apart and in the end they couldnt bare this distance.and misery, which pushed them off the edge through sacrifice, tragicallly.
Quite bittersweet! Really Really Really want a second season .

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